Ford Audio Drives Pacific Northwest's First L-ACOUSTICS KARA Rig

BURBANK, Washington - February 2013 -- Tri-Cities-based sound reinforcement and AV service/rental provider Ford Audio Service, Inc. has now taken delivery of the first L-ACOUSTICS KARA system in Washington State. The initial order was comprised of 24 KARA, accompanied by 12 SB18 and eight SB28 subs, four 12XT coaxial monitors, and eight LA8 amplified controllers.

Photo: Ford Audio Service owners Angela and Gary Ford

Located on the southern edge of the state -- a five-hour drive southeast of Seattle -- Ford Audio is well positioned to service corporate clients, venues, festivals and regional tours throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

"We've had several rigs in our 17-year history, and this time we wanted the best modular array that money could buy to move our company forward," says owner Gary Ford. "We looked at other systems, of course, but ultimately felt that L-ACOUSTICS offered the best package, not to mention a longstanding history with top artists and the Rental Network to back it up."

According to Ford, the company had initially considered purchasing a V-DOSC system in 2006, but he claims it was "too big of a jump" for his company at the time. "KARA, however, fits our business model perfectly," he points out. "We needed a ton of flexibility, and KARA hits it spot on. It's a lightweight, highly scalable, turnkey package that's heavy hitting and rider friendly. And what can I say about the DOSC waveguide? Absolutely nothing compares to it in terms of fidelity."

Ford describes the SB28 subwoofer with equally flattering praise. "The port design is a milestone in sub technology; the amount of output the SB28 achieves with little to no port turbulence is amazing," he says. "Never before have we had a system that hits every note from 25Hz to 20kHz without any holes and still sounds so warm and musical. There are other 'flat' systems out there, but compared to this one, they sound sterile and lifeless."

In the few short months since adding the KARA system, Ford Audio has been busily delighting his clients with it. "We've done quite a few shows already with the rig and the results have been outstanding every time," Ford notes. "We had a show at a large theater in Seattle where the house audio engineer made it a point to tell the promoter that it was the best sounding system that had ever been in his venue."

Photo: One of FAS' new KARA/SB18 arrays at Toyota Center in Tri-Cities, Washington

"On another occasion, the promoter looked at our rig hanging up in the 10,000-seat arena and asked, 'Are you sure this is going to do the job?' When we fired it up, he booked us for three more shows on the spot! Those are the kinds of reactions we're getting with this system, which is phenomenal for our business."

Underscoring the company's satisfaction with L-ACOUSTICS, plans are already being solidified to convert the rest of Ford Audio's monitor system over to 12XTs this spring, as well as to add a quantity of new ARCS Wide enclosures.

"We're delighted to welcome Gary and Angie Ford and their team to our Rental Network," adds Dave Weidenhoffer, L-ACOUSTICS US regional sales manager. "With their recent investment into KARA, SB18, SB28, 12XT and LA8, we know that they'll be well equipped to service the Pacific Northwest region with a comprehensive portfolio of L-ACOUSTICS products."

L-ACOUSTICS is a leading innovator and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeakers, amplifiers and signal processing devices for touring and installed sound markets. Known around the globe for pioneering and championing the modern line array loudspeaker concept with V-DOSC, the company has received numerous accolades for its K1, KUDO, KARA, KIVA, ARCS, XT coaxial loudspeaker systems and SB line of subwoofer enclosures, all powered and processed with the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers in fulfillment of a "total system approach." Product distribution and customer service for the USA is handled by L-ACOUSTICS' subsidiary in Oxnard, California.